Only You
by Wordy Blackbirdy
Summary: 'Tom would do anything for Harry. Anything from innocent as sneaking them out in the middle of the night - right under the nose Mrs. Cole's nose; the orphanage matron - for Harry to enjoy the first snowfall of the year; to making Cindy Crawford's puppy 'disappear' because she made Harry cry.'
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a little something that kept digging at the back of my mind when I wrote it, and it's basically been gathering dust on my computer so... the hell with it. I'm posting it. If I find more insperation I might add more to this at a later time.**

**Warnings: it's un-betaed , unexplained time travel, and it's pre-slash, so if you don't like that, don't read it, if you do anyways, don't come crying to me about it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own harry potter, at all.**

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Wide emerald eyes watched in fascination as snowflakes drifted down from the dark night sky, pink lips parting in awe, a five-year old Harry's warm breath makes a small cloud in the chilly November air.  
Standing protectively over his shoulder stood an older boy who was shivering slightly from the cold despite his wool coat as he watched Harry try to catch snowflakes on his mitten covered hands.

'_Sneaking out in the middle of the night on the whim of a five-year old was mad, impractical and...'_

Tom paused his musings to rubbed his nose was red from the cold quickly before tucking it back into his warm pocket, slate gray eyes watching Harry as he quietly giggled and tried to brush the snow from the mop of raven locks atop his head childish glee filling those innocent emerald orbs.

_'completely worth it.'_

Tom would do anything for Harry.  
Anything from innocent as sneaking them out in the middle of the night - right under the nose Mrs. Cole's nose ; the orphanage matron - for Harry to enjoy the first snowfall of the year; to making Cindy Crawford's puppy 'disappear' because she made Harry cry.

Tom looked up at the star filled sky, his breath making a misty cloud in the air as snow flakes landed on his face, melting when they hit his warm skin.  
Because Harry was_ special_ and needed to be protected, at any and all costs.  
Because, and Tom knew it the moment he had laid eyes on the other boy, Harry was _his_.

Another quiet giggle turned Tom's attention to Harry again, who was trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth.  
A small smile made it's way to Tom's thin lips, there was only one person who could make him smile like this. Only _one_ who deserved to see this side of him.

_'Only you Harry, only you.'_

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**I hope you liked it, please leave a review and tell me what you think. **

**- Birdy**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is a bit longer, I hope you enjoy it.**

**Thank you guys for all the likes, reviews and favorites, it means a lot and helps me with inspiration when writers block is against me.**

**Warnings : It's un-betaed, Pre-slash and unexplained time travel.**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters.**

**Chapter 2.**

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On the second floor of wool's orphanage a cold draft made its way through the poorly sealed windows as winter puffed its last breath of the year resulting in a two-week cold snap that was still going on making the many occupants of the orphanage miserable. On this very floor two such occupants shared a bedroom, the sixth one on the left.

Harry shifted his weight nervously as he waited for Tom to come back from the bathroom that could be located down the hall, he glanced at the brass alarm clock that had a crack in the glass that covered its face. Tom usually took five minutes to finish in the bathroom, never more than six and never less than three. So if Harry was lucky he would have four or five minutes to gather up his courage until Tom came back.

The small five-year old was sitting on his bed in his well-worn pajamas whose pattern had once been clean blue and white stripes but had faded to the grimy looking blue-gray and green-gray stripes that now covered them. Harry lifted his eyes to watch the clock as his small fingers fiddled with the mismatched buttons that held his shirt close.

There were two pink that had once held the back of Suzie Michel's dress closed before she stained it so badly it couldn't be worn anymore; one navy that had fallen off one of the itchy wool coats they had to wear in the winter; two musty looking gray ones that one of the workers had pulled out of the back of a drawer to mend it with ugly green thread that reminded Harry of vomit and one pearly white that had Tom had snipped off his church shirt for Harry last winter and sewn on when his favorite ruby-red button had come off.

The white button was Harry's favorite now, because it was pretty yes but also he now had something of Tom close to him when he slept, and that meant more to him than it being pretty could ever be.

* * *

Tom dried his hair with a ragged towel before tossing it aside and dropping the towel around his waist. He quickly pulled on his underwear and pajama bottoms, tying the draw string in a tidy bow, turning to the slightly foggy, grimy mirror to look at his thin, childish body.

If one pushed aside the lack of body weight and the bony angles of his shoulders and hips, or the way that his ribs showed through his skin with every breath he took, he was rather good-looking for a child his age that who had been in an orphanage. He had no bruises or scars, or burns of any kind that many of the other children had from various activities or punishments.

His hair was a rather shiny dark brown and his eyes were deep-set and a mysterious shade of slate gray, though they slight circles under them; it did nothing to take away from their powerful stare. If one asked Tom why he was missing sleep he would say from to many nights of late reading.

Which would be true, he did on some nights, but most recently his nights were spend carefully watching Harry on particularly cold nights to make sure he wasn't freezing to death in his sleep. The younger boy had the habit of trying to hide the fact that he was cold from Tom, though the gray eyed boy always knew because Harry would shiver in his sleep so violently that Tom could see it from across their darkened room.

Sometimes Tom wondered if he should just make Harry sleep with him, that way they could share blankets and body heat and not freeze to death during the night. Though the green-eyed boy was very shy about such things, Tom had no idea why though, Harry was rather strange about many things. Sighing the seven-year old shrugged on his pajama shirt and buttoned it up before proceeding to brush his teeth and continue his nightly ritual for getting ready for bed.

* * *

Harry played with the worn cuff of his night-shirt, picking at the frayed threads that were coming loose after too many years of wear and wash. He pulled his knees under his chin and wiggled his toes to keep the feeling in them despite the cold temperature of the room. His shaggy black hair fell into his eyes as he looked towards the frosted window with half lidded eyes.

His head snapped up as he heard footsteps coming from down the hall, Tom was coming back. Harry watched the door with intense focus, something that felt like nervousness knotting inside his stomach as he watched the door open to revile his only friend.

Tom ran his wet fingers through his hair as he stepped inside the room he shared with Harry, his eyes snapping to the small figure that perched on the end of his bed looking rather tense. Closing the door behind him Tom stepped towards Harry as the smaller boy suddenly unfolded himself and slid off the bed, quickly coming to a stop in front of him. They looked at each other in silence for a moment, the room still except for Harry's shivers.

"Tom, will...will you read to me?" Harry blurted suddenly, his green eyes wide and pleading as they stared up into Tom's slate gray orbs.

The older boy blinked and considered it for a moment not that he wouldn't do it if it made Harry happy.

"We don't have any story books." He said as he looked down at Harry whose eyes were starting to dim as their owner started to lose hope. "But I can read to you from the book I got from the library last week." He quickly amended.

Harry's face broke out into a wide grin as he nodded his head so fast and hard Tom worried it might fall off.

"On one condition." Tom said as he walked to the rickety bookshelf that was at the foot of his bed and pulled the book from it.

"Anything!" Harry didn't hesitate to answer.

"You sleep with me tonight." Tom said as he set the book on the end table and pulled the covers back.

The smaller boy froze and blinked. Once, twice, three times before slowly nodding.

"Alright, if you're sure..." He said slowly.

Tom nodded sharply as he got on his bed and patted the spot next to him.

"I'm sure now get up here before you freeze."

Harry quickly ran over and crawled up beside him, Tom, pausing only to grab the book before pulling the covers over them.

* * *

Outside the wind howled and the sky grew darker as Tom's voice as he read the bland text of the history book became a lullaby to Harry as his eye lids grew heavy and he drifted into sleeps gentle arms. Tom read for ten more minutes until he was sure Harry had fallen asleep, his breathing deep and even with each breath he took.

Carefully the older boy reached over the top of the sleeping boy beside him and set the book on the end table once more, glancing at the ugly alarm clock on the end table, it was nine o'clock, he had been reading for about an hour he realized before sighing gently and turning off the lamp.

Moonlight and shadows filled the room as Tom settled back down next to Harry, setting his head on the pillow and looking at the sleeping face of the boy next to him, he reached up and gently traced the odd lightning bolt scar that he had on his forehead.

Tom had often wondered where he had gotten it from; the nurses who took care of them when they were younger had just told him that Harry had it when he came to them. It wasn't long before sleep claimed Tom, his eyes slipping shut and his face smoothing out with a kind of peace that only sleep could bring.

For the first time in what would be many times to come, one bed set empty and cold in the sixth bedroom to the left on the second floor of Wool's orphanage. It's normal occupant sleeping soundly in the arms that had slipped protectively around him unconsciously.

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**So there is the second chapter, it has 1,394 word count of pure story (not including authors notes), so it is longer than the last chapter by quite a bit. **

**I'm sorry for any grammar errors, if you see any please feel free to point them out and I'll do what I can to correct them.**

**Thanks for reading, please review.**

**- Birdy**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, thank you all for your reviews, follows and favs.**

**It means a lot and helped me get through the week with out tearing my hair out. :)  
**

**Warnings : It's un-betaed, Pre-slash and unexplained time travel.**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters.**

**Chapter 3.**

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Harry wiped his face with the back of a flour covered hand and looked at the timer that he had set on the dingy counter next to his work space. He had about four more minutes left to get his work done, with a sigh he went back to kneading the dough for the rolls that would be on the dinner table that night.

Two weeks ago the five-year old had stubbornly struck up a deal with Martha, the cook of Wool's orphanage who rarely allowed anyone to step foot in her kitchen. After four days of Harry waiting for her at the entrance to her lair, green eyes glaring at her defiantly, she decided to hear the boy out.

When he told her he wanted to make a deal the woman had thought that he would want biscuits or sweets in trade for taking out the garbage - more children had tried to get her to agree to that - but the boy had surprised her when he purposed that he would help her with anything she requested for two weeks in exchange for helping him bake a small cake.

After a moment or two of thought the woman agreed, after all what harm could it do? Martha was a sensible woman unlike Mrs. Cole who seemed to think that children ruined everything they touched, whether they meant to or not, and she couldn't see the harm in it.

The boy had a good head on his shoulders and only wanted to bake a cake. Besides she could certainly use another pair of hands around the kitchen and the orphanage refused to pay for her to hire help. And so Harry had spent every afternoon for the last two weeks learning how to make the various dishes the orphanage could afford to place on the table for the children, which granted wasn't much but Martha would sometimes bring things from her sisters garden in the country to add something extra to their diets. Though Martha seemed like a harsh woman she really was quite pleasant once you got to know her.

Harry finished with the dough just as the timer went off jarring him from his thoughts. Martha walked to the oven and check on the small golden cake that was sitting on the rack inside.

"Looks like its done Harry." She said with a small nod of approval as she grabbed her oven mitts.

Grinning Harry jumped off his stool and rushed over to her side as she pulled out the cake. He watched with wide eyes as she carefully removed the cake from its pan placed it on the cooling rack she had set out that morning. Turning to look at him she brushed a lock of her salt and pepper hair that had fallen from her bun into her face as she worked.

"Turn off the oven while I get the things you'll need for frosting." Martha said as she walked across the kitchen, the heels of her shoes clicking loudly against the white tile floor.

Harry did as she said and turned off the oven before he slid his stool over to where the cake was resting and inspected it closely.

The cakes surface was golden brown with small patches of yellow showing through its slightly bumpy surface, just as Martha said it would, rather ugly but it would be hidden by the frosting and would taste wonderful.

Martha made her way back, arms full with a container of powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and dish of butter that had been sitting near the stove so it would soften, all tucked neatly into a bowl with a mixing spoon so it could be comfortably carried in Maratha's plump arms.

Harry looked over at her with a wide grin and barely kept from squirming in excitement as Tom said it made him look like he had to pee, though it was in a much more Tom-like way.

"Now, what you're going to do is mix the powdered sugar and butter together until it's creamy and add a few drops of vanilla, you won't need to much since the cake is so small." She explained as she poured about a cup of powdered sugar into the mixing bowl not bothering to dirty a measuring cup because she could measure it just as well with just her eyes and scooped a third of the butter into the bowl with two drops of vanilla then handed Harry the spoon.

Five minutes later after she had moved the cake to a plate Martha handed him a butter knife and told him to scrape off the spoon and put it into the sink to soak before helping him frost the now cool cake.

"It's missing something." Harry murmured as he looked at the cake, resting his chin on one small fist.

"I've got just the thing." The plump woman said as she snapped her fingers and moved to the fridge to grab a dish that she had brought with her that morning to spell out Tom's name in blue berries that she had picked from the bush she had in her garden. With a smile she set a clean butter knife and two forks on two plates and helped Harry bring it all up to the room he shared with Tom and set it on their end table.

Just before she left she pulled a packet of candles and a book of matches out of the pocket in her apron and tossed them to the black haired boy in front of her.

"Don't burn yourself or set anything but the candles on fire." Martha would be the only woman who was five foot tall that sent chills down Harry's spine by the tone of her voice alone for the rest of his life.

Swallowing his fear Harry nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

Martha returned the nod then disappeared out into the hall, closing the door behind her.

Harry tucked the book of matches into his back pocket and opened the packet of candles. They were simple enough, while with greenish blue stripes and just a bit longer than his pinky. Carefully he poked in eight candles around the cake, trying to make sure that they didn't mess up Tom's name or crowd too close together. After he finished he pulled back to survey his work, satisfied he glanced at the clock sitting just inches away from the cake.

It was almost four o'clock, Tom would be back from church soon*. Every Monday* from two to four would take a group of orphans to the church to spent time with the nuns and priests there, in hopes that they might know someone who would adopt one of them but most of it was just a formality now and the children spent their time helping with simple chores around the church. Things like sweeping, dusting, and organizing hymn books and bibles were among the chores, but Tom caught the eye of one Sister Mary Edwards and had been charged with helping her organize and care for the church archives.

It was one of the few things that Tom didn't complain about when he came back from church.

Harry smiled and went towards the dresser on what was his side of the room at one time. In the past few months they had stopped considering the room as being cut in half by an invisible line, divided into dimensions of 'mine' and 'yours' and started regarding it as 'ours', as a whole. He pulled out the middle drawer of the dresser and uncovered a small black box with a red ribbon around it that had been hidden underneath a stack of neatly folder trousers.

Inside rested the handmade gift that Harry had made for his friend.

A dragonfly made up of paper clips, beads, buttons and a few scraps of wire he had been able to find to bind them all the last few months he had gathered supplies that he might be able to make a birthday gift for Tom, though the task was rather hard in the orphanage.

There weren't many things that Harry thought Tom would take a liking to in the first place let alone when they were put together.

But he could remember last summer when he had seen Tom sitting under a tree with a dragonfly resting on his finger, a small relaxed smile, that even Harry didn't get to see all that often, on his lips as he stared at the delicate insect on his finger, its blue-green body and iridescent wings sparkling in the sunlight that streamed down through the leaves.

It had amazed him to see Tom so relaxed and at ease, and for a moment that he didn't even realize what he was feeling he was jealous of that dragonfly.

Sighing Harry closed the drawer and went back to the end table, setting the box next to the cake and sat down on the bed he now shared with Tom.

* * *

Tom hid a shiver as he walked with the group of children he was regularly forced to go to church with in an effort to pawn them off to adults who just might want the responsibility of a child but can't have one of their own for some reason or another.

Or perhaps that was just the reason they gave the children as Tom suspected that was attempting to get donations from the church.

The greedy woman already had enough to take care of them but spent it on the scotch he knew was hidden away in a drawer of her office desk. She was just covering her own tail; she didn't care anything about them as long as she could use them as a cover for her habit, her drinking problem.

Maybe sometime in the future he would twist her arm with that knowledge but not now, he thought as the drab gray building of Wool's orphanage came into his view.

He wanted to spend the rest of his time with Harry today, after all it was his birthday, and though that fact didn't mean much to him, he knew it meant something to Harry so he went along with it.

Once they were inside the children stripped off their itchy wool coats and hung them op on the wooden pegs in the staff hall, water dripping off them as snow melted from the slight rise in temperature. Tom's slate gray eyes followed until she disappeared into her office, no doubt in his mind that she was going to get drunk out of hers.

Unless she came after him or Harry in a drunken rage it wasn't his problem, let whoever was stupid enough to go near her when she was in such a state bear the consequences of their stupidity in his opinion.

With nothing more than a glare towards the other children who dared to come to close to him, Tom made his way to the second floor and to the room he shared with Harry.

* * *

Harry sat up a bit straighter and smiled as he heard Tom's footsteps from down the hall.

"Happy Birthday Tom." He said as the older boy opened the door.

"Thank you Harry." Tom replied as he gave a small smile and closed the door behind him.

Harry stood up and pulled the book of matches out of his pocket and quickly set to lighting the candles then blew out the match before it could burn his fingertips.

"Make a wish!" He said with a grin now that Tom was close enough to see what he had done.

Tom leaned down, closed his eyes and blew the candles out.

"What did you wish for?"

Tom opened his eyes and looked at Harry with a fond smirk.

"I can't tell you or it won't come true."

Harry rolled his eyes and started pulling the candles from the cake, setting them on the dish around it. After he finished he proceeded to cut the cake into four pieces and put them on plates for himself and Tom.

Tom sat down next to Harry on the bed as he took a bite of his birthday cake, it was wonderful with creamy frosting and moist cake, the sweetness of the blue berries he decided was a wonderful touch as one burst in his mouth. Once he had swallowed he glanced at Harry who was watching for his reaction and hadn't taken a bite of his own yet.

"It's wonderful Harry, where did you get it?"

Harry beamed and finally took a bite of his cake before answering.

"I made it with Martha." He said around his food, unintentionally giving Tom an eye full of his half chewed cake.

"Don't talk with your mouth full Harry, it's disgusting." Tom said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Who's Martha?"

"Sorry Tom, and Martha's the cook, she helped me make it!" Harry replied after he swallowed.

The elder boy gave a small nod and continued to eat his cake in silence. Once they finished Harry set both of their plates on the end table and picked up Tom's birthday present then handed it to him.

"Happy Birthday." He murmured and crawled back on the bed next to his friend.

Tom blinked and glanced at Harry then back to the little back box that sat innocently in his hand, the ribbon around it a shade of red that reminded him of blood. Carefully he untied the bow, briefly he wondered if it was Harry's work, if it was he had certainly improved since Tom had taught him how to tie his shoes, it was only slightly crooked.

When he was done he set the ribbon aside and lifted the lid. Sitting inside on a little nest of folded cloth that looked like it was a scrap from one of the table cloths that one of the care takers had ruined, was a dragonfly.

It wasn't the prettiest thing he had ever seen with its dirty paper clip wings and mismatched button and bead eyes but he could tell that Harry had spent hours of hard work to make it. It was hidden in the way the wire held everything together at just the right angle to keep its body from falling apart but not altering its looks horribly.

"Why a dragonfly?" He asked without taking his eyes off it.

"You seemed to like that one that landed on your finger last summer; I thought if I made you one you might like it too..." Harry trailed off nervously, biting his lip, green orbs filled with worry.

It was true, Tom thought as he considered Harry's words. Tom liked that dragonfly more than he liked most people; he had treated it to a rest on his pale finger and a smile. It didn't fear him or annoy him with childish things but instead was content to simply sit on his finger and bask in the sunlight.

Vaguely Tom wondered if Harry knew the symbolic meaning of the gift he had presented him with. The dragonfly was considered a symbol of power, poise, maturity, depth and many more things that escaped Tom's mind at the moment as he stared at the gift that rested in his hand.

"I love it." He finally said and cradled it in his palm for a moment before setting it on the window still. Tom looked back over at the younger boy and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you Harry."

The two boys enjoyed their second pieces of cake and paged through the latest book Tom had borrowed from the library until it was two dark to see unless they had a lamp on and had to bring their plates down so Harry could wash them and Tom could meet Harry's new friend, Martha.

* * *

The dragonfly would sit on the windowsill for three years, until the boy to whom it was given went off to a boarding school in the Scotland highlands where it would sit on the night stand next to his bed as a reminder of the one who was waiting for him to return in the summer.

Harry wouldn't know it but Tom would still like a dragonfly more than most people, only this one would be made of paper clips, beads, buttons and wire scraps.

* * *

**1. Yes, I sent Tom to church. **

**2. I actually looked it up and December 31 1934 was a monday.**

**So I hope you liked this chapter of Only you, I had to edit it twice as it was lost the first time.**

**I'm still trying to figure out how it happened...**

**Please let me know if you can spot any grammar errors and I'll do my best to fix them.**

**And**

**Please review **

**-Birdy**


	4. Chapter 4

**I can hardly believe it, 99 favorites already and I'm just posting chapter four.**

**Thank you all for the reviews, even those who review anonymously, it means so much to me :)**

**Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter of Only You.**

**Warnings : Un-betaed, unexplained time travel, pre-slash.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter in any way shape or form.**

**BTW - I have a small challenge for you in this chapter, there is someone in this chapter that is connected to an important character in the Harry Potter series, review or Pm me if you know and I'll write a Harry Potter fandom one-shot for you, I will announce the winner next chapter.**

**Chapter 4**

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Easter Sunday found Harry wandering around London, lost in a crowd of people who were all trying to get their families to church on time. He was supposed to be with the group of children that left the orphanage together under 's not so watchful eye - Tom had muttered something about brandy under his breath when he had seen her that morning but dismissed Harry's questioning glances with silence. Now he was lost in the dirty streets of London and he had no idea where he was or how to get where he was going.

Sighing He decided to try to weave his way back to the orphanage through the alleys, it would certainly be faster than trying to get through the overly crowded streets, he had been pushed, shoved, and nearly trampled more times than he could count and he was tired of it, he just knew he would be sore tomorrow.

With a frustrated huff Harry started down the closest ally, intent on getting back to the orphanage.

Harry looked around in awe as he surveyed the place he found himself in. It had always been a talent of his to get lost and find himself in the most interesting and wonderful places. He was rather glad of this gift, even if it made his sense of direction suffer, without Tom to help him around new places he might as well be lost in the amazon rain forest.

Harry looked around the garden; it certainly wasn't something he was expecting to find at the end of a dirty alley. It was filled with twisted vines, lush red roses and several trees of wisteria that filled the air with a sweet scent that lingered in Harry's nose.

Several other varieties of flowers and plants whose species Harry had no idea filled the garden with vibrant colors and only added to the already magical atmosphere, Harry almost swore he saw a fairy peek out from behind a lily of some sort, but when he blinked only a dragonfly sat in its place.

Sunlight filtered through the garden in a way that the boy had never seen in London before, the air was clean and free of any soot that normally tried to fill his lungs when he left the walls of the orphanage.

"What are you doing in here Laddy?" The voice of a woman with a faint Scottish accent came from behind him.

Turning around Harry blinked at the woman in front of him.

She had dark mahogany brown hair that was held back in a glossy bun, a scarf tied around her forehead held back any hair from her face that might escape from its place, though Harry doubted it would. Her green eyes were the color of rose leaves and a small smile was on her peach lips.

"I got lost ma'am." Harry said politely and bit his lip gently.

"Lost, you're pretty lost to have found this place." She said as she wiped her hands on the apron that tied around her waist, over a cotton forest green dress with a slightly worried look.

"I've been told I have a knack for getting lost." He said with a small shrug.

The woman snorted and shook her head, her delicate hands going to her hips.

"Must be true if you stumbled across this place, what's your name Lad?"

"My name is Harry Ma'am." The boy said looking up at her slightly nervous.

"Well Harry, it's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Isobel Ross." She said with a smile as she extended a hand to Harry.

"Pleasure to meet you too Miss Ross." Harry said as he shook her hand.

Isobel held in a snort and shook her head.

"Call me Isobel. Would you like some tea Harry? I was just about to make some when you wandered in."

Harry nodded.

"Please."

The woman smiled and waved a hand to one of the benches that was nearly swallowed by the flowers and plants that surrounded it.

"Have a seat and enjoy the garden, I'll be back in a moment."

Harry did as he was told and soon found himself nearly hidden in the hydrangea that hung over one side of the bench he was sitting on. Closing his eyes he listened to the faint tinkling of wind chimes that filled the garden air and the quiet sounds of birds chirping every so often.

A few minutes later Isobel came back carrying a tray with everything needed for an afternoon tea time for two.

"Why don't you come over to the table over here?" She said as she tipped her head towards a small black cast iron table in the corner of the garden with two matching chairs that Harry could see though he suspected the nearby mound of Morning glory vines might be covering one or two. The flowered vines also crept along the brick wall that was behind the table and across the top of an old wooden work station that wasn't too far away and covered in flower pots, clear mason jars and garden tools.

Isobel set the tray down then took a seat and smiled at Harry as he took a seat across from her.

Harry accepted the tea-cup and biscuit that Isobel offered him with a quiet 'thank you' and added a spoon full of sugar while Isobel drank hers with two spoons of sugar and a bit of cream.

"So Harry, tell me about yourself." She said with a smile over the edge of her tea-cup, her green eyes scrunched up slightly at the corners in a way that would give her smile lines when she got old.

And so Harry did, he told her all about his life at the orphanage, how he helped Martha in the kitchen and all kinds of stories about his best friend Tom. At all the right parts Isobel would smile, chuckle, as a question or make a polite observation.

* * *

All to soon it seemed they ran out of tea and biscuits.

With a sigh Isobel stood and stretched, working out the kinks that had made their way into her muscles from sitting still for so long. After she was done she looked down at Harry who was carefully organizing their dishes on the tea-tray and gave a gentle smile.

Harry was a good boy, quite smart for his age, even if she though he leaned a bit too much on this friend of his. Though she supposed it would be hard not to when Tom was his only friend, all the other orphans wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole from what she gathered from Harry. She untied the scarf from around her forehead and wiped the sweat off her brow, tucking the mint green cloth in her dress pocket.

Once Harry finished she took the try inside and set them in the sink to soak until she returned. When she came back Harry was looking at her work station that had several jars with tiny plants growing in them.

"Harry, would you mind if I walked you back home? I don't think I'd be able to sleep tonight if I didn't know you got home safely." Isobel said as she walked to stand beside he boy. 'I'd also like to make sure you don't get in trouble for getting lost, from what you've said it wouldn't be below to do such a thing.' She thought as Harry looked up at her.

"I wouldn't want to be a bother..." He trailed off at the thought of wandering through the busy streets once again.

"Nonsense, I'll I have to do today is gardening and I'm always willing to help a friend out. Let me just fix myself up and we'll be on our way." With that Isobel walked back inside and changed from her gardening garb into a navy blue button up dress with a white-collar, trim and buttons. She wiped her face and chest down with a wash cloth and quickly did her makeup then added a tad of her favorite perfume and grabbed a pair of heels and her purse then went back out to meet Harry in the garden.

Harry blinked at the change but quickly gathered himself; Tom said it was rude to stare.

"You look very nice Miss Isobel." He said after he recovered.

The young woman smiled at him, the boy was too polite, she had told him at least four times that he could just call her Isobel, but "Miss Isobel' was the closest he came to letting her have her way so far.

"Thank you Lad. Let's be on our way then." She said as she took his hand and led him out of the garden and down the alley he had come from.

Harry gave her the address and they quickly made their way back to the grim-looking orphanage. When they finally reached the door Harry's grip tightened around Isobel's warm hand, she squeezed back in a reassuring way and smiled down at him before they stepped inside.

The home was empty except for the quiet sounds of Martha who was working in the kitchen.

Harry quickly decided that the other children must still be in church and told Isobel so, the young woman agreed but said she would stay with Harry and keep him company until they came back. The green-eyed boy beamed at her and led her through the surprisingly clean orphanage to a spotless kitchen where a middle-aged woman was working on making dinner rolls, she looked up as they entered.

"Harry what in blazes are you doing back here? You're supposed to be in church!" Martha exclaimed before her eyes settled on the young woman behind him.

She was a thin slip of a girl, and in Martha's opinion, too thin. Her glossy brown hair was held up in a neat bun and she dressed well enough but Martha could see the dirt under her finger nails a mile away. The young woman had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep though they weren't terrible yet, so her troubles must have recently come into her life and her cheeks were slightly hollower that what they should have been.

The girl opened her mouth to explain.

"I'm Isobel Ross; Harry here got separated from the rest of his group and found his way into my garden." She said with a smile as she ruffled Harry's mop of black hair fondly as the boy let out a small huff, he didn't like it when people messed with his hair; it was already messy enough on its own.

Martha sighed, dear Lord help them all, it seemed Mrs. Cole was losing her ability to keep an eye on the little ruffians around her, not that she thought Harry was a ruffian but he was probably pushed out of the group by one of the other children who didn't like him.

She wasn't blind, she knew the other children hated Harry and Tom for some reason, she just didn't know why.

"I see, have a seat then and keep me company while I work." She said, motioning with flour covered hands to a pair of nearby stools they could sit on then turned back to her work.

The three chatted until they heard the sound of children's feet shuffling through the door and the voice of one rather upset Tom Riddle.

* * *

Tom couldn't believe it, he took his eyes off Harry for two minutes and he disappears. What was thinking? How could she let a five-year old wander off into the city without noticing anything? What was he thinking? He had known that she had spent a bit too much time in her secret stash that morning but he thought she at least had enough awareness about her that she would be able to count how many children she was taking to church!

"We need to go look for him!" Tom shouted at the matron, his slate gray eyes narrowed into a dangerous glare as they met her brown ones.

"He'll find his way back on his own, Harry's a smart boy." The woman snapped at him, glaring back, though hers fell rather flat against the strength of his, though she tried anyway.

Tom opened his mouth to reply but he was nearly tackled by a small boy with a mop of messy black hair. The older boy blinked in surprise as he looked down into large vibrant green eyes.

"Hey Tom, Miss Isobel helped me find my way back." Harry said with a grin.

Tom wrapped his arms around Harry in a nearly bone crushing hug.

"Don't wander off again." He murmured and felt Harry respond with a nod though they both knew that with Harry's sense of direction, or rather lack thereof, it wasn't a promise he could keep, but at the moment it was the thought that counted.

was looking rather smug when Tom released Harry from his arms, only for a young woman, whom Tom would assume was the 'Miss Isobel' that brought Harry back, to walk up to her with a scowl.

"I wish to have a word with you on the way you look after the children here, or rather the way you don't." She snapped, her rose-leaf green eyes narrowed into slits as she crossed her arms and nodded towards 's office. "In there."

Mrs. Cole who was already looking a bit worse for wear sighed and walked to her office, the young woman trailing behind her.

Just before she went inside Isobel looked over her shoulder and smiled at the two boys kindly. "I'll come find you when I'm done."

Harry smiled and nodded then drug Tom away to chat about how the day went for the both of them. Nearly twenty minutes later Isobel came back out of the office with a pleased sway to her gait as she walked to the kitchen to ask Martha where the boys were.

"Probably went up to their room, those two never stay out long with the other children if they can help it, they tend to get into trouble." Martha said and gave her directions to their room on the second floor.

Isobel frowned at the elder woman's words but thanked her and left to go find the boys, on her way through the main room on the first floor she could feel the eyes of more than a few children watching her. It made her heart ache that so many of them had nowhere else to go, but there wasn't much she could do, she was only eighteen after all and could barely take care of herself and Robert, let alone any children at the moment, though that too soon would be on her shoulders. She sincerely hoped that Robert would be happy about the news, she didn't know what she would do if he wasn't.

Sighing she pushed the thoughts away as she now stood in front of the door to Harry and Tom's room. She knocked lightly and Tom answered with a slightly commanding 'Come in'. She opened the door and stepped in , closing it quietly behind her. Though there were two beds in the small room both boys sat on the one to the right, a large book lay open across their laps, across one page she could see a picture of a human skeleton printed in fine shades of gray.

It surprised her that two boys of their ages would be reading such advanced material but she set that aside for later and seated herself across from them.

For a moment no one said anything as Tom looked the young woman up and down and she returned the action.

Tom finally decided to speak up.

"Thank you for watching out for Harry." He said, the words tasting strange in his mouth when they weren't for Harry.

"It was no problem." Isobel shook her head and smiled at him.

"You're welcome to come and visit me anytime you two, Harry I assume you know the way to my garden now?" She asked the small boy who was smiling brightly at their interaction.

Harry nodded.

"Perhaps you could draw a map? Harry has the worse sense of direction." Tom asked making Harry pout slightly.

"I'll bring it by within the week." Isobel nodded and stood, brushing the wrinkles from the skirt of her dress.

"See you." She said with a small wave which both boys returned, though one was much more eager than the other, before they watched her walk out of the room and heard her footsteps fade from the hall as she got further away.

* * *

Three days later she would return with a carefully drawn map as promised and stay for a cup of tea that they had in the kitchen, chatting with Martha as she worked.

* * *

**( EDIT : Hey guys I added 's name again, please let me know if any mentions of her are missing again or if I missed any. Thanks -Birdy.**

**Re EDIT: Third time trying to add her name again, IDK why it's doing this, oh and I went back over the story and changed a few details here and there, nothing to big but I think it reads a bit more smoothly now.)**

**Brownie points if you know the character I was talking about. **

**So, sorry if there are any grammar errors, it's not beta read but I got all the ones I could find, please let me know if you find any that bother you.**

**Also, what do you think of the new cover? I made it myself, though I might change it if I can make a better one.**

**Hope you enjoyed it please review,  
**

**-Birdy**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, this chapter is a little shorter due to a number of uninteresting causes that I won't bore you with.**

**Anyways, thank you all for the reviews! I swear I check for reviews every five minutes after I post a new chapter, I love hearing from you guys.**

**Winner of the chapter challenge is : My Alternate Reality ! , I'm working on the one shot but I don't know when it will be done yet though I'll try to finish it as soon as my schedule will allow.**

**For those who might still be wondering ****Isobel is Minerva's mother****.**

**I Hope you enjoy this chapter of Only You. :)Warnings : Un-betaed, unexplained time travel, pre-slash.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Only You chapter 5**

* * *

It was a cold, wet day at Wool's orphanage. The spring rain had ruined the Matrons plans of taking the children to the park. During the winter they only went out in the small yard that surrounded the orphanage so that they could come inside and warm up quickly, but the children had been getting rambunctious now that it was spring, so they were quite disappointed with the change of plans.

Only two children didn't mind.

Harry because no one would play with him and Tom because, well, because he was Tom. Playing in the park was beneath him, or so he said, secretly Harry just thought that it was that no one would play with him either.

Currently the two boys were in the bedroom they shared, the eight year old, stretched out, silently reading on his bed.

The younger boy sometimes wondered why He and Tom never played the games that the other children did, like hide and seek, or tag; but he found he didn't really mind. They didn't need games.

Large green eyes looked around the gray room until they glanced to his left to rest upon his silent companion. As if sensing his gaze, Tom's slate gray eyes flicked up from the anatomy book he was reading, meeting Harry's, the softening was almost unnoticeable, a gentle smirk making its way to his thin lips.

Harry smiled and carefully took in the scene before him, it reminded him of the book of paintings Tom had brought back from the library, though this scene before him wasn't painted by any master painter, he thought it was more beautiful than any of their works he had ever seen.

Not that Tom was beautiful in the normal sense of the word, because nothing about Tom was 'normal'. No Tom's beauty was hidden in the way his slate gray eyes were almost always half-mast when they observed the world before them, the way his nose was straight and perfect, barely turned up on the end to hint at Irish ancestry, and his cheek bones caught the light at such an angle that the made his eyes seem like they set deeper into his face than they really were and the soft skin of his cheeks nearly glow.

The way those thin lips moved as they formed softly spoken words or tilted up at the corners to give small half smiles or playful smirks that seemed like he reserved it for Harry alone. Harry had always thought Tom was beautiful, even in the moments no one else would ever see.

The moments that Tom let his carefully built guard down and the slightly broken orphan showed through, when rejection weighed heavy on his shoulders and loneliness for someone else like himself seemed to eat away at his being, Harry was there, observing the haunted look in his eyes as the elder boy woke from nightmares he would never speak about.

Harry saw the vulnerable parts of Tom that were normally hidden away behind the smooth plated armor that his friend seemed to hide behind, the armor he allowed Harry within.

Tom was beautiful.

* * *

Tom watched Harry as the younger boy stared at him, wondering just what was going on behind those expressive green about Harry had always brought out the protective side of Tom, the one that was usually well hidden, shoved down in to a small box and tucked away into the back of his mind in favor of his own survival.

But for as long as he could remember, it had felt like Harry was a part of him, when he was away from him that piece would be missing once again and a cold ache would fill his chest. Sometimes he wondered if Harry felt it too or if it was just that he was too attached to the younger boy for his own good, not that he would actually do anything about it as Harry was the most important thing in his mind.

Harry was something special, something that needed protection from the world and the dirty fingers of the other children at the orphanage. He was the one clean, innocent, spot in Tom's life and the elder boy selfishly wanted to keep it that way. He felt like the mother boa constrictor he had read about, curled protectively around her eggs to keep them safe and warm, lashing out without mercy at anything that might be a threat.

Harry pulled Tom from his thoughts when he smiled and rested his chin on his fist with what sounded like a content sigh.

"What?" The older boy asked, his curiosity getting the best of him as it did more often than most would think.

"You're pretty." Harry said listlessly before his eyes widened in shock, Tom doubted that he meant to let those words come out, he was soon proven right.

"I-I mean your nice to look at! Wait, I mean, ugh this isn't coming out right!" He said frustrated as his fingers dug deeply in his mop of wild black hair, his nose scrunched up causing his barely there freckles across the bridge of his nose to stand out.

Tom blinked in mild surprise, well; he certainly hadn't been expecting that.

"Your nice to look at too Harry." He said with a snort, gently shaking his head as he set his book across his lap before carefully reaching over and gently pulling Harry's fingers from his hair. Harry gave him a small smile, Tom always knew what to do to make him feel better. Tom never made fun of him if something he said didn't come out right.

Watching as Harry smiled, Tom made a quick decision and stood up, tugging the younger boy along with him as he did so. Harry allowed Tom to lead without protest, curious to see where Tom was leading him.

The floor boards creaked as they walked down the hall towards the stairs to the third floor, usually the third floor housed any teenagers that lived at the orphanage, though it was empty and silent as they walked to the room at the end of the hall, there were no teenagers living at the orphanage, Edward More, the last one to sleep there had left the spring before, having turned eighteen.

Edward had been one of the few people at the orphanage other than Harry that Tom could stand the thought of conversing with, though that might have been because he had been the one to teach Tom how to read and do simple math problems and thus keeping him out of trouble unless someone started a fight with him. Tom wouldn't deny that he had the tendency to become quite...aggressive when he grew bored.

Edward was observant and had realized that, most people seemed to think Tom was just mean-spirited.

* * *

_Once when Harry had been in an interview with a couple looking to adopt, Edward had watched as Tom alternated between pacing a hole in the floor and glaring at the wall as if it offended him by existing. Sensing trouble on the horizon Edward had quickly sought to distract Tom, nothing good would come from letting the boy stew like that. _

_He had taken Tom by the hand and brought him up to the third floor and swore him to secrecy, mostly to keep the boy interested but also because he didn't want to get in trouble for what he was about to show him. _

_Edward had opened his closet door and pulled down a trap door to show a ladder covered in cobwebs that looked like it had seen better days, then turned with a grin to the younger boy and climbed up, vanishing into the dark hole on the ceiling. _

_Tom had hesitated, eyeing the ladder with a mix of distrust and disgust, honestly the thing was unbelievably dirty, before he climbed up behind the teen. _

_He drew himself up into the musty room, rewarded with the site of a dusty attic, filled with broken furniture, cobweb covered bookshelves, several boxes that were labeled with names that Tom didn't know and many other things that sat around covered in sheets. _

_"I come up here to think sometimes, it's so far up you can hardly tell that there's an entire orphanage just a few floors down." Edward said as he made his way over to what looked like a sheet covered trunk that sat just in front of the small window that looked out over London._

* * *

Tom led Harry to Edward's room and proceeded to mimic the elder's actions, going so far to swear Harry to secrecy even though he knew the boy didn't have anyone else to tell, and wouldn't want to if he did.

Once again Tom had found himself grimacing at the dirty ladder and promised himself he would come to clean it sometime before he climbed up into the hole above, waiting nearby to make sure Harry could get up alright.

Harry's green eyes widened to shocking proportions as he let out a small gasp, looking around in wonder; It always amazed Tom how such ordinary things could make those green eyes go so unbelievably wide. He found he rather enjoyed seeing just how wide they could go.

He took Harry's hand once again and led the younger boy to the window and sat down on the cloth covered trunk, gently patting the spot beside him.

"I like how quiet it is up here, like we're a world away from Wool's." Harry said breaking the silence that had settled over them like the dust that covered their surroundings. Tom looked at him for a moment before looking back out the window with an understanding nod, Edward's words coming back to him.

_"I'm giving this to you; I know you'll appreciate it. I'll be gone in a few years so you'll have the place to yourself unless you want to share it with someone else who will appreciate it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it even more if you do." He had said with a half-smile._

He was right. Here in the quiet of the attic he couldn't help but think that he would enjoy anything if Harry was at his side.

* * *

In the years to come Harry would close his eyes and see Tom staring out that attic window, the muted light that came through, making the gray of his eyes look smoky instead of harden slate like they normally did.

He would pause to think over his childhood contemplations; more than once in that attic as he got older. He would carefully look at them and add more observations to them that he had collected over the years, as he grew closer to Tom, and Tom drew him further inside that thick plated armor that protected them both.

Eventually Harry would decide that Tom was a beauty that could only be appreciated over time, his personality an acquired taste. And Harry _fully_ intended to spend the rest of his life appreciating and **_tasting_**.

* * *

**So before you ask no the next chapter is not going to be a time jump to when their teenagers or adults.**

**Ok now that is out-of-the-way I would formerly like to ask if anyone knows someone who would beta read this story, I've been searching for a beta reader since I posted the first chapter and I still haven't found someone who will return any of my messages, it's not urgent or anything but it would be nice to find someone to help out, that way I could focus more on actually writing than proof-reading my work three times before I even think about putting it in Doc Manager. So please if you know any beta readers up for the task, let me know via PM or review.**

**Thank you if you read all that and thank you once again for reading!**

**Please review,**

**-Birdy**


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